Ever want to lock into a steady stream of farm fresh produce, but don’t want to bother with the dirt and the work? Then Great Country Farms owned by Kate and Mark Zurschmeide is for you. The 200-acre spread outside of Bluemont opens for its eighth season on May 1.

The Zurschmeide’s farm operates as a CSA or community supported agriculture, which is one way to save family farms and thwart suburban sprawl. About 100 shareholders pay annual fees ranging from $495 to $645. In return, they receive half or full bushels of fresh produce delivered right to their doors during the farm’s May-October growing season. Great Country delivers to the nearby city of Leesburg and Loudoun and Fairfax counties.

Members can also pick fresh fruits and vegetables at the farm for no additional charge. The public pays admission — $20 per car on the weekends — to pick everything from peppers to pumpkins and fresh, juicy strawberries. The farm also offers a petting zoo and a chance to milk Ol’ Bessie, a demonstration model of a cow. Last year, Great Country drew 30,000 visitors. "People come out year after year. You see their children grow. That’s what makes CSA special. It becomes more of a relationship," says Kate Zurschmeide, the operation’s president.

CSA programs are growing nationwide. Since their inception in the 1980s, numbers have grown to about 1,000, including 12 farms in Virginia. The concept helps farmers survive, making them a less likely target of developmental sprawl. "You have to be a little bit crazy to do this. It’s hard work," says Mark Zurschmeide. Still, he and his family of three young children enjoy life on the farm. The operation did about $150,000 in sales last year, which Zurschmeide says he plowed back into the business.

For more information, check out the company’s Web site at www.greatcountryfarms.com.